Enrique García Santo-Tomás is Professor of Spanish at the University of Michigan, and Senior Fellow at the Michigan Society of Fellows.
His talk is entitled "On Donating and Collecting: Leonardo da Vinci in Madrid."
The figure of Juan de Espina y Velasco (1563-1642) remains relatively unknown, despite his being one of the most famous scientists and collectors of his time. His appeal was such among his contemporaries that he was immortalized in the 18th century by the playwright José de Cañizares in Don Juan de Espina en Milán and Don Juan de Espina en su patria, two comedias de magia that forged the image of an eccentric genius ahead of his time. But Espina’s quasi-mythical standing, I argue in this talk, was achieved through a calculated act of self-promotion that began with the unique objects stored in his house, and ended with his highly publicized will in which he donated his most prized possessions to Philip IV. As a result, his home in Madrid became the site of literary praise by all those who longed to see what was behind its doors, which included two of his most famous items, Leonardo da Vinci’s Codice I and II—believed to be acquired through the figure of Pompeo Leoni. In a culture built on visual display like that of the Baroque, Espina presents an interesting paradigm, as his real power lies in what is hidden from public view. Visiting the house of this mad scientist allows for a reflection on understudied issues of early modern Spanish culture such as the performance of male domesticity, the dynamics of collecting, and the showcasing of scientific exploration.
Santo holds a Ph.D. from Brown University, and has authored over 130 publications on early modern Spanish literature and culture. His research has been honored with a Fundación Juan March Award (2000), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2007), and a Michigan Humanities Award (2012), and his work has received the Premio Moratín de Ensayo a la Investigación Teatral (2001), the Premio de Ensayo Villa de Madrid (2005), and the William Riley Parker Prize for an Outstanding Article in PMLA (2009). He is currently working as a visiting researcher at Stanford University on a book titled The Refracted Muse: Literature and Optics in Early Modern Spain.
